Daily Archives: June 4, 2012

I afforded myself a session (half a day) of this weekend’s seminar with A.G. Mohan and Indra Mohan. They are students of Shri Krishnamacharya who is said to be the father of modern yoga (he was teacher to Sri K. Patthabi Jois and B.S.K. Iyengar).

1. Yoga is a means to make our mind steady. One certainty in life is change. Change can be brought about by external events, which we cannot control . Change can be brought about internally, through our minds…this we can have control over.

2. What are the three most important things in life? Mr. Mohan asked Krisnamacharya this question. His answer: HEALTH which can be achieved through the practice of asanas; LONGEVITY which can achieved through pranayama; and TRANQUILITY, attained through meditation.

3. The mind is our inner television. I need to “watch” what I think. Thinking is more powerful than action. If we think things through, then our actions (including speech) will be more meaningful and/or less hurtful.

4. Happiness is simply letting go. Letting go of thought processes that causes anxiety, fear and worry. Freedom is in our own hands. If we do things that will make us happy, we become free; if we don’t do them, we become bound.

According to Mr. Mohan, happiness is within our reach and can be a constant in our lives. We can do this by having a focused mind; being aware of our thoughts and subsequent actions and consciously free ourselves from those that make us “unhappy”.

These are just a few lessons of that half-day and introductory evening that I attended. There are practical applications that I had started using in my practice this morning. Mr. Mohan was funny with his “stories” and is very sincere and humble in spreading happiness through the teachings of Sri. T. Krishnamacharya.